Actress Vanessa Benavente couldn’t believe she landed the audition to play Mother Mary in the now-hit show “The Chosen.” She was even more stunned when she was offered the part and had to make the difficult decision to quit her job for the role – at a time when no one knew if there were ever be a second season.
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“Acting wasn’t coming by very regularly so I was working in casting and when I got the audition, I had to take an extra long lunch and work late to get there,” she said during an interview with The Washington Times Mark Kellner.
She explained that she had just had a baby and purchased a home with her husband (who is also an actor) when she was offered the role. In order to make the filming schedule, she had to quit her job and take “a leap of faith” for the show.
Fast forward and “The Chosen” is a mega-hit and just wrapped filming on Season 4. The show, which streams for free on The Chosen app, is being translated into 600 languages and is now available on cable television station The CW.
Mrs. Benavente said she draws on personal inspiration to portray such a monumental figure in history.
“There’s a lot of pressure that comes with it, but I’m somewhat lucky that no one knows what she looked liked or how she sounded,” she said. “So I can be inspired and I take quite a bit from my family … My grandmother’s sister, who later became like my grandma because my grandma passed away, she had this quality … she was always smiling and always seemed happy even though she had a tough life, but every time you saw her, she just hugged you. And Mary is that. Mary is a warm embrace.”
Watch the full interview for more details about Mrs. Benavente’s role and relationship with the other cast members.
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Sarah Rivette is an Associate Editor for The Washington Times Higher Ground. She can be reached at srivette@washingtontimes.com
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